Apple TV update brings iTunes in the Cloud, Bluetooth keyboards

It also updates support for iTunes 11's Up Next feature.

Enlarge / AppleTV's newly added Bluetooth keyboard support works with any Bluetooth keyboard, including the Logitech K760.

Chris Foresman

Along with the notable iOS 6.1 update Monday afternoon, Apple also released a software update for the Apple TV. Firmware version 5.2 adds support for streaming songs from iTunes in the Cloud, updates support for viewing and choosing tracks on iTunes' new Up Next feature, and includes previously rumored support for using a Bluetooth keyboard to control an Apple TV.

If you have an iTunes account registered with your Apple TV, the latest firmware will allow you to access, browse, and play back all music previously purchased via iTunes. The feature, which Apple calls "iTunes in the Cloud," has been available via the desktop and iOS devices for some time, but now you can access this content directly from an Apple TV. It doesn't appear that the feature works with iTunes Match at this time.

You can also use your Apple TV in conjunction with iTunes 11's Up Next feature. Support had actually been added in the interim firmware version 5.1.1 in November, but the latest version includes compatibility to view the Up Next list. You can add or edit songs using an Apple Remote or the Remote app on iOS.

The new update also adds support for connecting wireless Bluetooth keyboards. While the update's notes say it supports the Apple Wireless Keyboard, it in fact works with any standard Bluetooth keyboard. Arrow keys work as on the Apple Remote, while return works as select, escape works as menu, and space works as play/pause.

Apple hadn't yet updated its online knowledge base article about Apple TV software updates with full details of the 5.2 firmware at the time of publication, but we expect any additional details to appear sometime this afternoon.

If you have an iTunes account registered with your Apple TV, the latest firmware will allow you to access, browse, and play back all music previously purchased via iTunes. The feature, which Apple calls "iTunes in the Cloud," has been available via the desktop and iOS devices for some time, but now you can access this content directly from an Apple TV. It doesn't appear that the feature works with iTunes Match at this time.

Am I misunderstanding something here? I've been using iTunes match on my Apple TV for quite some time now. And if you have iTunes match, why would you need iTunes in the Cloud? iTunes match functionality is a superset of iTunes in the Cloud.

I wonder if this fixes the semi-regular problem I have where I have to cut off Home Sharing on iTunes on my Mini and then re-enable it b/c it will read my library and then fail to actually start an episode. Just beachballs at me.

I really hope this fixes the AirPlay issues that 5.1.1 introduced. For some reason AirPlay is now sensitive to whether it has a direct line-of-sight from my iPhone to the Apple TV, even though the WiFi connection is strong at both points.

I always say I'm going to try this Apple TV out... Just because I try out a lot of electronics... However, I'm pretty happy with another "gaming" type console that does way more...

Maybe someday...

Wait a minute. You have a gaming console that will play anything I have purchased in my iTunes library including digital copies that came with DVDs that are now included for free in my iTunes account, can play any content I push to it from an iPhone, iPad or iPod, does dual screen gaming with my iPad, displays photos in my PhotoStream, allows me to display my Mac computer over wireless, can play back my iTunes Match library, is the size of a hockey puck, makes no noise and produces an imperceptible amount of heat??

You can also use the first number or letters of an onscreen element to jump to. So if you can see "13. Double Trouble" onscreen you can jump to it by typing "1" "3", but if it's offscreen you can't (I assume this is just a hacky thing that takes advantage of whatever vestigial Accessibility API is in the AppleTV version of iOS. Hopefully, they'll add something more robust later.

I always say I'm going to try this Apple TV out... Just because I try out a lot of electronics... However, I'm pretty happy with another "gaming" type console that does way more...

Maybe someday...

I don't blame anybody for thinking this way, especially if it's an Xbox 360 with Xbox Live where you also have access to Amazon and ESPN. Honestly, the purpose of buying an Apple TV is for people with a lot of content in Apple's ecosystem. The fact that it does Netflix and Hulu Plus is a nice bonus that eliminates the need for a lot of people to buy a Roku.

I always say I'm going to try this Apple TV out... Just because I try out a lot of electronics... However, I'm pretty happy with another "gaming" type console that does way more...

Maybe someday...

Wait a minute. You have a gaming console that will play anything I have purchased in my iTunes library including digital copies that came with DVDs that are now included for free in my iTunes account, can play any content I push to it from an iPhone, iPad or iPod, does dual screen gaming with my iPad, displays photos in my PhotoStream, allows me to display my Mac computer over wireless, can play back my iTunes Match library, is the size of a hockey puck, makes no noise and produces an imperceptible amount of heat??

I always say I'm going to try this Apple TV out... Just because I try out a lot of electronics... However, I'm pretty happy with another "gaming" type console that does way more...

Maybe someday...

Wait a minute. You have a gaming console that will play anything I have purchased in my iTunes library including digital copies that came with DVDs that are now included for free in my iTunes account, can play any content I push to it from an iPhone, iPad or iPod, does dual screen gaming with my iPad, displays photos in my PhotoStream, allows me to display my Mac computer over wireless, can play back my iTunes Match library, is the size of a hockey puck, makes no noise and produces an imperceptible amount of heat??

I want one.

You forgot turns on in 5 seconds and only uses 4W at full power and 1W while sleeping.

I always say I'm going to try this Apple TV out... Just because I try out a lot of electronics... However, I'm pretty happy with another "gaming" type console that does way more...

Maybe someday...

Wait a minute. You have a gaming console that will play anything I have purchased in my iTunes library including digital copies that came with DVDs that are now included for free in my iTunes account, can play any content I push to it from an iPhone, iPad or iPod, does dual screen gaming with my iPad, displays photos in my PhotoStream, allows me to display my Mac computer over wireless, can play back my iTunes Match library, is the size of a hockey puck, makes no noise and produces an imperceptible amount of heat??

I want one.

You forgot turns on in 5 seconds and only uses 4W at full power and 1W while sleeping.

You're an affluent first world consumer but you are going to fixate on power consumption rather than features, flexibility, and format support.

I always say I'm going to try this Apple TV out... Just because I try out a lot of electronics... However, I'm pretty happy with another "gaming" type console that does way more...

Maybe someday...

Wait a minute. You have a gaming console that will play anything I have purchased in my iTunes library including digital copies that came with DVDs that are now included for free in my iTunes account, can play any content I push to it from an iPhone, iPad or iPod, does dual screen gaming with my iPad, displays photos in my PhotoStream, allows me to display my Mac computer over wireless, can play back my iTunes Match library, is the size of a hockey puck, makes no noise and produces an imperceptible amount of heat??

I want one.

Those are nice for people who live inside the Apple ecosystem. There are a lot of people that live entirely on the outside of the ecosystem, where these features have little to no benefit.

Yeah, if you don't already have a lot of Apple stuff, and you just want to use Netflix and watch videos, any of the other media players like Roku or the game consoles will work just fine. Amazon is just as good as iTunes store for media.

Can someone suggest a good, cheap BT keyboard for use with the ATV2? Thinking about getting one for the folks back home.

KarlShea wrote:

jayfehr wrote:

KarlShea wrote:

Maybe someday there will be an update so you can see which episodes of a TV show you've already watched in Netflix.

A blue dot appears next to all the unwatched shows. There is even an unwatched tab at the top of the TV shows screen.

No blue dots in Netflix. Or an unwatched tab.

Not only that, but a month or so later after I watch an episode of a series it seems to forget which ones I've seen in the web and Android interfaces, too. (Those episode lists have progress bars.) Of course, if it never erased those, I'd be complaining when I wanted to watch the whole series over again, I guess.

I don't blame anybody for thinking this way, especially if it's an Xbox 360 with Xbox Live where you also have access to Amazon and ESPN. Honestly, the purpose of buying an Apple TV is for people with a lot of content in Apple's ecosystem. The fact that it does Netflix and Hulu Plus is a nice bonus that eliminates the need for a lot of people to buy a Roku.

My big issue with the Xbox is that the interface is not conducive to getting to the app I want. Fire it up, wait for it to sign into Live, move to the "pinned" area ... Only then do you get to your apps. If they would just take that "pinned" area and make it the first screen, there'd be no argument that the Xbox is the best media console available.

I wish the Netflix app had the facility to bookmark shows, sometimes I randomly come across a movie in a menu but don't have time to watch it right then and there. Invariably I forget the name of the movie next time I've sat down to watch something. I've taken to playing 10 seconds so it shows up in recently played, but that's not a real elegant solution.

I wish the Netflix app had the facility to bookmark shows, sometimes I randomly come across a movie in a menu but don't have time to watch it right then and there. Invariably I forget the name of the movie next time I've sat down to watch something. I've taken to playing 10 seconds so it shows up in recently played, but that's not a real elegant solution.

Anyone else having problems with the update? I've tried it at least half a dozen times today and I keep getting "The update was not successful". I'm starting to think I have a defective unit.

Suggest you just wait a bit and try again. Updated three iDevices successfully this afternoon, but the fourth declined because "You are no longer connected to the Internet". I was, and so concluded there was server congestion. About a half hour later, the download connected on its own and worked flawlessly. So, give it time.

Because Apple's responsible for Netflix accounts? Maybe you're in the wrong forum.

They only seem to push out Netflix updates with general Apple TV OS updates, I don't think he was being too crazy in that statement. Who writes the Netflix app? Is it Netflix, or a joint Netflix Apple venture seeing as it's not open to developers at large? I don't know the answer to that.

A previous point update broke rendered the extra buttons on a third party remote that you can learn the Apple TV to recognize usless for me: no more skipping back 10 seconds or forward 30 seconds.

Can someone confirm that this is supported in this version of the software?

I hate to ask, but I have to: have you tried "learning" the remote again? While Apple is no stranger to dropping support for things, I don't see why that would be the case here with the technology used. Especially considering that it still partially works.

The only other thing I can think of is that they may have changed the way the feature is performed, which may have had unintended consequences with third party remotes. For example, the official Apple Remote way to skip ahead might apply to third-party remotes for whatever reason (pure speculation).